Deerfield.com featured in Michigan business magazine

SHOP TALK:

February 06, 2002|By Jeffrey Hogan

Technology

* Deerfield.com and Gaylord were recently spotlighted in an article entitled "Small Town Business Success Story" as published by Michigan Business Report, a publication of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

Founded in 1994 by Mike Deerfield and his wife, today Deer-field.com has its headquarters on Old 27 South in Bagley Township as well as an office in Traverse City, that together employ nearly 70 people.

Deerfield.com has become an industry leader in the areas of Internet connectivity, data transfer and security software, as well services such as personal firewall software.

Advertisement

In the magazine article, Deerfield attributes the success of his business in Gaylord to three factors: Gaylord is a family-oriented community, there is a lot of available government support for a business and the four seasons en-sure year-round enjoyment. "The northern Michigan workers enjoy the quality of life, therefore they tend to be a bit more focused and loyal, which for us resulted in a close-knit team of individuals," he added.

Honors/Achievements

* According to Fortune Magazine, Gaylord-based Edward Jones investment representatives Luke Noss and David Malusi work for the best company in the United States. The bus-iness magazine, in its Feb. 4 edition, ranked Ed-ward Jones as No. 1 in its an-nual listing of the "Best Companies to Work For" in America.

This is Ed-ward Jones' fourth consecutive appearance on the list, but its first No. 1 ranking.

"Clearly, I am excited by this No. 1 ranking," said Noss. "I believe the climate within our firm has a ripple effect on our clients and on the communities we serve. The firm values its associates and treats them with respect."

The largest firm in the nation of branch offices, Edward Jones currently has more than 8,000 offices in the United States and, through its affiliates, in Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Noss office at 100 W. Main employs four people, while Malusi's office at 1365 W. Main employs three people.

* AFLAC has been named the top insurance employer in Fortune magazine's listing of "The 100 Best Companies to Work for in America."

In Otsego County, AFLAC is served by district coordinator Kris Horton from Elmira, while the district coordinator is Jason Glick. In Gaylord, AFLAC's office is located at 2397 S. Ot-sego. Glick no-ted that in all of Michigan's 83 counties, Ot-sego County has the highest concentration of AFLAC customers.

* Privately held sandwich-shop chain Subway Stores topped McDonald's as the USA's largest restaurant chain in the fourth quarter. As of Dec. 31, Subway operated 13,247 stores, 148 more than McDonald's.

Locally, Roy and Eugene McDaniel own and operate the two Subway stores in Gaylord, as well as one in Grayling.

* Trisha Scott has been named February 2002 Employee of the Month by management at the Gaylord Ponderosa restaurant.

The Ponderosa restaurant is a property of the Mount Pleasant-based LaBelle Management Inc., that owns and operates 34 restaurants and six hotels throughout Michigan and Indiana.

Name change

* Credit Counseling Centers Inc. recently changed its name to GreenPath Debt Solutions in order to better identify the organization's services. The Farmington Hills-based credit counseling service is a nonprofit organization that provides free counseling and low-cost debt management programs to people experiencing financial difficulties while promoting sound money management skills.

GreenPath's Gaylord office is located at 810 S. Otsego, Suite 105 where Kristen Kipina is the certified credit counselor.

On the move

* Smith Realty and Festival Land Development have moved their offices from 131 W. Main in downtown Gaylord to an on-site location at 271 Johnson Road, across from Jay's Sporting Goods. The companies are marketing and seeking to build the True North Crossings shopping center in the area of Johnson and Evergreen roads in Bagley Township.

The relocation allows for greater meeting and parking space.

* Short Stop owners Mark and Lorna Miller have temporarily suspended day-to-day operations of their two-year-old restaurant and lunch delivery business located at 137 West St. in Gaylord, after opting not to renew a one-year lease agreement with the Quality Inn that expired Feb. 1.